Category Archives: – DIAGEO WORLD CLASS

Max La Rocca judges Diageo World Class in Belfast

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Incredible new experience in Belfast, judging for the first time my peers and see what’s “behind the curtains”.

Quite a wierd sensation at the beginning, seeing all your friends and colleagues a bit nervous getting ready, but I knew I was there WITH them and FOR them, 100% present.

I’m so happy to see that the level of competitions at Diageo World Class are improving year after year and bartenders in Ireland are little by little taking their place as influencers in the art of cocktail making around the world.

After the competition I made a presentation on what to expect from World Class Global Final, with a nice summary and great insides, talking about different subjects like: panic control, how to discipline yourself for the competition, what the judges expect from the contestants and talking a little bit about the various callenges with “tips and tricks” to feel a bit more confident, relaxed and HUMBLE.

“It was a brilliant experience that thaught me really a LOT both as a Bartender as well as a person, thank you guys!!”

I wouldn’t mind to do it again in order get more and more experience and keep learning from my colleagues.

Javier Bravo from Long Island, Cork clinches place in World Class Ireland Final

Reserve Brands, the luxury spirits portfolio from Diageo, has named Javier Bravo, from Long Island Bar in Cork, as the third and final bartender who has shaken and stirred his way to the Irish Final of the 2011 World Class Bartender of the Year competition.

Javier won his place in the esteemed country final at the third competition heat, held north of the border for the very first time, in the stunning Bert’s Bar at The Merchant Hotel, Belfast on 9th May 2011.

The TANQUERAY® and TANQUERAY® No TEN™ Gin heat was judged by an expert panel including the 2010 World Class Bartender of the Year Ireland winner, Max La Rocca; Gleneagles Hotel Bar Manager, David Sinclair and Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud Sommelier, Julie Dupouy.

Javier triumphed in the heat with his bespoke TANQUERAY cocktails, the‘Gin Gold Standard’ and the ‘Herbal Collins’.

David Sinclair said: “Javier absolutely deserved the win today. He impressed us with a humble style coupled with a great deal of cocktail expertise, finished with immaculate presentation. Not only that, but he gave a little of himself away, captivating his audience with stories that brought his cocktails to life – a true mark of a good bartender.”

Max La Rocca, who is now Bar Supervisor at Ohla Hotel’s Boutique Bar, an exclusive five star boutique hotel in the heart of Barcelona, said: “I can see the level of competition at World Class improving year after year as bartenders in Ireland are taking their place as leaders and influencers in the art of cocktail making around the world.

“Javier, with his accomplished and innovative cocktail repertoire, fantastic personality and knack for presentation would be a great choice to represent Ireland at the global World Class finals.”

Darren Geraghty from The Exchequer, Dublin and Luke McMullan from the Merchant Hotel, Belfast were named runners up at the heat.

Javier will join Raf Agapito from Bar With No Name, Kelly’s Hotel, Dublin and Sylvia Carcagno from Sheen Falls Lodge, Kerry at the World Class Ireland final on 13th June, to compete for a coveted place at the global final to be held in New Delhi, India from 11 – 14 July 2011.

Drink Responsibly Enjoy Alcohol Sensibly

The TANQUERAY, TANQUERAY No. TEN words and associated logos are trade marks. ©Charles Tanqueray &Co. 2011

2011 Diageo World Class Bartender of the Year Gin Heat Competitors

Domhnall Carlin The Spaniard, Belfast

Lukasz Wojcik The Dylan, Dublin

Ross McDonald Muriel’s, Belfast

Darren Geraghty The Exchequer, Dublin

Greg Kwasny Harvey Nichols, Dublin

Jonathan Magennis Bert’s Bar, The Merchant Hotel, Belfast

Gillian Boyle The Mint Bar, The Westin, Dublin

Javier Bravo Long Island, Cork

Karim Mehdi Saba, Dublin

Pat Thomas The Lost Society, Dublin

Shane Nolan SoHo, Cork

Luke McMullan The Merchant Hotel

Sam Metcalfe Apartment, Belfast

Mark Atkinson Horatio Todd’s, Belfast

Judge Biographies

Max La Rocca, Ireland World Class Bartender of the Year 2010

Max La Rocca was crowned Ireland’s World Class Bartender of the Year in June 2010, advancing to the Diageo World Class Global Final in Athens, where he competed against 24 of the most talented and inspirational bartenders over four days to be placed third in the world.

Max has worked as a Bartender and Bar Manager in some of the world’s finest establishments, including Claridge’s in London, the Stravinskij Bar at the Hotel De Russie in Rome, The Mandarin Oriental in Barcelona and currently holds the position of Bar Supervisor at Ohla Hotel’s Boutique Bar, a brand new and exclusive five star boutique hotel in the heart of Barcelona.

David Sinclair, Bar Manager, The Gleneagles Hotel

David has spent more than 15 years working in bars in luxury hotels in the UK and Ireland. Currently the Bar Manager at the world-renowned Gleneagles hotel, which was voted as one of the top 50 bars in the UK by the Independent newspaper in 2011. The Gleneagles Hotel has one of the rarest whisky collections in the world and David also acts as an ambassador for Scottish Whisky most recently promoting Whisky in Hong Kong. Being the custodian of some of the rarest spirits in the world David believes the key to success in any bar is education.

Julie Dupouy, Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud Sommelier

Julie Dupouy is currently the Head Sommelier at Dublin’s two time Michelin star award winning ‘Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud’. Born in Gascogne in France, Julie has quickly established herself as one of the country’s top sommeliers. Her unique knowledge and passion for wines and spirits led to her becoming a finalist in The French Guild of Sommeliers awards in 2008. She was also awarded the title of Best Sommelier in Ireland in 2009 by the Irish Guild of Sommeliers. Julie has previously worked as sommelier in some of Ireland’s finest establishment including Lyons Estate and Residence Private Members’ Club. Julie spends much of her free time perfecting her craft and educating herself in the world of wines and spirits.

About World Class

Developed by Diageo Reserve Brands, Diageo’s luxury spirits portfolio, the aim of the year long World Class programme is to educate and inspire bartenders to create exceptional cocktails, services and experiences, raising the standard of bartending.

Now in its third year, World Class is not only about finding the best of the best, it is an international celebration of the craft of bartending and a global leader for setting cocktail trends alight. Using only the finest liquids and exceptional ingredients, World Class has come to be known as the Oscars for the cocktail world

Max Presentation @ BCB and Diageo Reserve Bar

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Max La Rocca’s presentation on “Ritual and Cocktail Theatre Challenge” at Bar Convent Berlin 2010 with Spike Marchant and Angus Winchester introducing the prestigiuous Diageo World Class Competition.

The room was extra crowded and the atmosphere was magical…thank you guys for all the support, you have been amazing!

A SPECIAL thank to Spike Marchant for including me in this beautiful experience and Diageo for giving me the opportunity to work side by side with great Bartenders like Ian “Ambassador” Burrell, Ricardo Albrecht from Lebensstern Bar and René Förster @ DIAGEO RESERVE BAR on this fantastic event!!

Thanks to Szabi Sandor for the beautiful pics

DIAGEO WORLD CLASS 2010 GLOBAL FINAL IN ATHENS

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Cocktail King of the World

Congratulations to Mr Erik Lorincz from Connaught Bar, London that has claimed the prestigious title of Diageo World Class Bartender of the Year 2010!!!!

After a year long search which saw 9000 bartenders from around the globe shake, stir and pour their way through national heats, just 24 of the most talented and inspirational bartenders congregated in beautiful Athens to go head to head over four days of challenges.

The six themed challenges ranged from, ‘Architecture’ which tested the bartenders ingenuity and ability to adapt fresh ingredients from a local market to create a cocktail out of their chosen produce, to ‘History’ which examined the bartenders’ knowledge of mixology and pursuit of perfection.

In-between all the excitement we managed to catch up with one of the elite judges, Dale DeGroff, and he commented saying, “What’s most impressive about Diageo Reserve World Class is how every aspect of the craft of bartending is tested by the challenges and judges. You need to be creative, thorough and skilled – it’s daunting. Each year I learn different skills from everyone I meet at World Class including the contestants. These 21st century bartenders are the pioneers of a new golden age of the craft.” An incredible experience was had by all involved, each taking away with them some very special memories.

Year after year, bartenders are receiving more recognition for their exceptional craft and the excitement and passion in cocktail culture keeps growing, so we thank you all who contribute to the World Class standard.

( Source: www.weareworldclass.com )

GARY REGAN

DALE DEGROFF AND ANGUS WINCHESTER

– World Class Bartender of the Year 2010 Winner:
Erik Lorincz, The Connaught, London, United Kingdom

– World Class Bartender of the Year 2010 Runner- up:
Do Hwan Eom, The Ritz Bar, The Ritz-Carlton, Seoul, Korea

– **World Class Bartender of the Year 2010 Third Place:
**MAX LA ROCCA, Sheen Falls Lodge Relais & Chateaux, Kenmare, Co. Kerry, Ireland.

The Podium: Erick Lorincz, Do Hwan Eom, Max La Rocca

..AND THE WINNERS OF THE SIX CHALLENGES ARE:

– **World Class ‘Theatre’ Challenge Winner – Ritual & Cocktail Theatre
**MAX LA ROCCA, Sheen Falls Lodge Relais & Chateaux, Kenmare, Co. Kerry, Ireland.

– World Class ‘Gastronomy’ Challenge Winner – Canapé Matching
Jordi Otero, Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona, Spain

– World Class ‘Architecture’ Challenge Winner – Market Challenge
Do-Hwan Eom, The Ritz Bar, The Ritz-Carlton, Seoul, Korea

– World Class ‘Art’ Challenge Winner – Speed & Taste
Heinz Kaiser, DINO’S American Bar, Vienna, Austria

– World Class ‘History’ Challenge Winner – Classic Cocktails
Timo Janse, Door 74, Amsterdam, Netherlands

– World Class ‘Philosophy’ Challenge Winner – Cocktail Mastery
Torsten Spuhn, Modern Master Bar and Lounge, Erfut, Germany

SPEED AN TASTE CHALLENGE

RITUAL & THEATRE CHALLENGE

Announcement of the RITUAL & THEATRE CHALLENGE WINNER

DIAGEO WORLD CLASS 2010 GLOBAL FINAL CEREMONY
Announcement of 1st 2nd and 3d Place

Some of Max La Rocca’s Jugdes Feedback:

-“Best Aviaton in the competition” (Salvatore Calabrese – Classic Challenge);

-“You can see the Italian School of Bartending in this performance even representing another beautiful country” ( Dale Degroff – Market Challenge);

-“Excellent perfomance, elegance and nice organization of the counter” (Hidetsugu Ueno – Speed and taste);

-“Beautiful Whisky Cocktails made with Passion” (Gary Regan – Mastery Challenge);

-In the Ritual & Theatre Challenge Peter Dorelli when presented with an unexpected iPhone and listening to the music while sipping JOHNNIE WALKER BLUE LABEL: “I feel like I’m flying”.

Diageo’s Distilleries Tour

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Here I am, after experiencing this amazing trip to Scotland as a prize for winning the regional Whisk(e)y Heat at Diageo’s World Class Competition last November in Dublin.

Until you see all these amazing and PASSIONATE people working “behind the scenes” it’s quite difficult to really appreciate what you have on the back shelves of your bar!!

In every distillery I’ve found the most kind people eager to show me around and explain what “IT WAS ALL ABOUT”..

Some of them gave me very scientific explanations, others used very easy examples and finally someone just explained the whole process with metaphors….I asked for example how bartenders should explain their customers why we should put water into our whiskey and got this answer…..”Why do we give water to a rose? To open it up and awaken all the flavours hidden below it’s beautiful petals……TRUE MAGIC!!

CRAGGANMORE DISTILLERY

The “Flora and Fauna Series“

The CLASSIC MALTS “Distillers’ Edition”

The Rare Malts

and with my surprise…an Irishman, the VERY knowledgeable Mr. Shane Healy, Master Distiller at CRAGGANMORE

A Mash Tun

A Fermentation Tank

The Spirit Safe where they analyse and manage the spirit coming out of the spirit stills without coming into contact with the spirit itself and also separate head, heart and tails.

THE DRUMMUIR CASTLE
Diageo’s Home of Scotch Whisky on Speyside:

The Whisky LIBRARY…..AMAZING!!!!



The Bar @ Craigellachie Hotel…700 Labels of Whiskies!!!!



SPEYSIDE COOPERAGE:



CARDHU DISTILLERY..Home of Johnny Walker:

“The Striding Men“

..in the “Blending Room” with Johnnie Wlaker and Classic Malts Global Brand Ambassador Gregor Cattanach, doing a blending exercise with different style of whiskies to understand the importance of the “Art of Blending”.

Gregor and Max looking quite happy about the resulting Blend..called
“PROJECT X”

The sample ..misteriously vanished during the rest of the trip 😉

BLAIR ATHOL DISTILLERY:

Jeff Power, Brand Home Lead Guide

…I still have goose pimples thinking about the nice feeling I had at the distillery, I felt like part of a small family, in a stress-free atmosphere.
Talking about Jeff’s inner view of the process…so much knowledge delivered in such a simple way, it makes you feel even more in love with Whisky…he is the “metaphoric guy” the person who thaught me the “TIP AND SIP” method….(TIP a teaspoon of water, SIP your whisky and relax).

These people take Whisky VERY seriously and they are VERY proud of it!!

As I landed in Edinburgh the guide told me…”The Irish have to distill their whiskeys three times to get it right!!” and from that I understood straight away what to expect from my trip….

Thank you so much to Diageo for giving me the opportunity to experience this fantastic WORLD.

Diageo World Class -Whisk(e)y Heat Ireland

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(Versione Italiana in basso)

ENG: The Diageo World Class is the most prestigious Bartender event of the year with entrants competiting for the accolade “World’s Best Bartender”.
The second edition started with the whisk(e)y category this year, so very interesting and challenging.

The Whisk(e)y Heat consists of two sessions:
The first session is about creating and presenting your own innovative libation, along with the inspiration behind the drink and the feedback from our establishment’s guests before the competition itself (we introduced the drink in the workplace through the bespoke menus, especially designed for it by Diageo).

After the first session, the judges pick three finalists that will go through a blind tasting of the Diageo Whisk(e)y Portfolio.
The winner of this second session gets the chance to compete in the National World Class versus the winners of the Vodka and the Gin Heats.

The national winners will then travel to New York to compete in the World Class Grand Final next July, featuring an incredible line-up of judges like Dale Degroff and Salvatore Calabrese.

Since last year’s edition, I’ve been following Diageo World Class Competition on various media like bartender’s online magazines and youtube videos and been amazed about how it was really focused on the bartenders skills rather than only on the cocktail itself, and as I got the opportunity to attend through my establishment ( Sheen Falls Lodge ), I decided not to miss it for anything in the world.

The elite judging panel included distinguished Food and Wine critic Tom Doorley, Proprietor of Pichet Nick Munier, Master Distiller of the Old Bushmills Distillery Colum Egan and Johnnie Wlaker and Classic Malts Global Brand Ambassador Gregor Cattanach.

The event was perfectly hosted by Diageo Brand Ambassador and Master of Ceremonies Mr. Martin Duffy.

It has been an incredible experience overall!
The atmosphere was great; normally in cocktail competitions you feel a really tense atmosphere with bartenders gathered into little groups and a lot of ego…coming out of every pore…

I felt there was a lot of union amongst the entrants, as a way to say “this is our day let’s show them what bartenders are about”, a very nice sensation.

The fact that one must go through different sessions really pushes you into doing a lot of research, studying, tasting and smelling , trying to get deeper and deeper on different subjects.
As a result, after the competition itself, you really feel you’ve improved both as a bartender and as a person, having had also a chance to compare with your “peers”.

The main idea behind my drink (named the Giants’ Gate) was to marry the two “old giants” of the Diageo Portfolio (Guinness and Bushmills) to celebrate the 400 years of the Bushmills Distillery and the 250 years of the Guinness Brewery.

The Cocktail combines the warm hints of raisins and toffee of the Bushmills 16 yrs with the gentle bitterness of the Guinness, both enhanced by the freshness of muddled cardamom pods.
I used a little combination of citrus juice and pasteurized egg white in order to achieve a beautiful silky froth on top that will remind the drinker of the nice beer head one gets from a refreshing pint of Guinness.

The final touch were the raisins soaked into Bushmills 16 yrs, recommending the judges to try and eat them while sipping the drink in order to experience the amazing burst of flavours provided by this cocktail.

The result?
Simply..speechless, I was quite confident about my drink and the first session, but when the tasting began, the atmosphere started to be really tense, and it was all about memories and associations in your brain to try to spot the exact products….trying to remain calm at the same time..

And the winner is..
Max La Rocca
Thank you to all the people behind Diageo World Class for giving me the chance to attend this amazing event!

PRESS RELEASES:

SENSEZ
WEAREWORLDCLASS
KERRYMAN
METRO
BARTENDER.IE
BARMANITALIA.COM

Diageo’s Peter O’Connor and Dawn Allison

Gregor Cattanach (left) and Colum Egan (right)

IT: La Diageo World Class è l’evento dell’anno più prestigioso nel mondo del Bar con Barmen che competono per il riconoscimento del titolo di “Miglior Barman del Mondo”.
La seconda edizione è iniziata con la categoria del Whisk(e)y quest’anno, quindi molto interessante e stimolante.

La categoria Whisk(e)y si compone di due sessioni:
La prima sessione richiede di creare e presentare le proprie creazioni innovative, spiegando l’ispirazione dietro il drink e il feedback dei nostri clienti prima del concorso stesso (abbiamo introdotto il cocktail nel posto di lavoro attraverso un menù appositamente progettato da Diageo ).

Dopo la prima sessione, i giudici scelgono tre finalisti per la “degustazione cieca” dei Whisk(e)y del portfolio Diageo.
Il vincitore di questa seconda sessione avrà la possibilità di competere nel World Class Nazionale contro i vincitori delle categorie Vodka e Gin.

I vincitori nazionali voleranno a New York per competere nel Gran Finale della World Class a luglio prossimo, con una serie incredibile di giudici come Dale Degroff e Salvatore Calabrese.

Dall’edizione dello scorso anno, ho seguito Diageo World Class sui vari media come riviste on-line per barmen e i video di YouTube ed ero stupito da come questa competizione si focalizzasse sulle capacità dei barmen piuttosto che solo sul cocktail stesso, e appena ho avuto l’ opportunità di partecipare tramite il mio posto di lavoro (Sheen Falls Lodge), ho deciso di non perdermela per nulla al mondo.

La giuria d’élite includeva il critico gastronomico ed enologico Tom Doorley, il titolare del Pichet Nick Munier, il Master Distiller della Bushmills Colum Egan e il Global Brand Ambassador di Johnnie Wlaker e Classic Malts Gregor Cattanach.

L’evento è stato perfettamente organizzato dal Sig. Martin Duffy Diageo Brand Ambassador e Maestro delle Cerimonie .

E ‘stata un’esperienza incredibile!
L’atmosfera era meravigliosa, normalmente nelle competizioni si respira un’atmosfera molto tesa, con i barmen riuniti in piccoli gruppi e un sacco di ego … che viene fuori da ogni poro …

Mi sembrava invece che ci fosse un sacco di unione tra i concorrenti, come un modo per dire “questo è il nostro giorno facciamogli vedere chi sono i Barmen”, una sensazione molto piacevole.

Il fatto che bisogna sottoporsi a diverse sessioni in realtà ci spinge a fare un sacco di ricerca, studio e degustazione, cercando di andare sempre più in profondità su diversi argomenti.

Come risultato, dopo il concorso stesso, ci si ritrova migliorati sia come barman che come persona, avendo avuto anche la possibilità di confrontarsi con i nostri “simili”.

L’idea principale del mio drink (che ho chiamato the Giants’ Gate) è quella di sposare i due “vecchi giganti ” del Portfolio Diageo (Guinness e Bushmills) per celebrare i 400 anni della Bushmills Distillery ed i 250 anni della fabbrica della Guinness.

Il Cocktail combina le note calde di uva sultanina e caramello del Bushmills 16 anni, con la delicata amarezza della Guinness, entrambi arricchiti dalla freschezza del cardamomo.

Ho usato poi una combinazione di succo di agrumi e albume d’uovo pastorizzato, al fine di ottenere una schiuma delicata sulla parte superiore che ricorda a colui che beve il drink, la soffice schiuma che si ottiene da una rinfrescante pinta di Guinness.

Il tocco finale é stata l’uva sultanina imbevuta nel Bushmills 16 anni, raccomandando i giudici di mangiarla sorseggiando il drink al fine di sperimentare l’incredibile esplosione di sapori fornita da questo cocktail.

Il risultato?
Semplicemente .. senza parole, ero abbastanza fiducioso per il mio drink e la prima sessione, ma quando é iniziata la degustazione, l’atmosfera é iniziata ad essere veramente tesa, ed è stato tutto un gioco di ricordi e associazioni del cervello per cercare di individuare i prodotti esatti. … cercando di mantenere la calma al tempo stesso ..

E il vincitore é ..
Max La Rocca
Grazie a tutte le persone dietro alla Diageo World Class per avermi dato la possibilità di partecipare a questo evento straordinario!

Diageo World Class Ireland – Dublin

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ENG:
Many many compliments to Mr Sean Muldoon from the Merchant Hotel in Belfast for winning the Irish World Class!!
Thanks to Salvatore Camagna for giving me the chance to be on his side in the competition and to Martin Duffy for introducing me to the Irish Bartending Community!

IT:
Complimenti a Sean Muldoon del Merchant Hotel in Belfast per aver vinto il World Class Irlandese!!
Grazie a Salvatore Camagna per avermi dato l’opportunità di essere al suo fianco nella competizione e a Martin Duffy per avermi introdotto alla comunità dei Bartenders Irlandesi!

Ireland World Class Champion Sean Muldoon
Salvatore Camagna from Sheen Falls Lodge…is he cooking or making a drink?? Nice stuff!

Timea Arany from Diep Le Shaker muddling hard!

Gin Seminar at Venu Brasserie with Angus Winchester

…what else to say…. (Max La Rocca & Salvatore Camagna from Sheen Falls Lodge)
http://www.sheenfallslodge.ie
mixing some tracks…well not really..
the final
The Judges (Tom Doorly, Martina Delaney and Angus Winchester)
Martin Duffy, Master of Ceremonies
Hayden Scott Lambert – Merchant Hotel Belfast
Peter O’Connor, Diageo Mixologist, setting up..

Drinks sipping and spirits chattin’ – an encounter with Ireland’s Diageo Brand Ambassador Martin Duffy

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I was up in Belfast at The Merchant Hotel in January to conduct some vodka trainings for Diageo’s World Class Cocktail Competition and just to see the city itself. What a great looking town!

Anyway, I got into a conversation with Hayden Lambert, the award winning bartender at The Merchant and mentioned that I was planning a visit to Rome at the end of February. I had never been before and was quite looking forward to it. He automatically recommeded that I drop in on a gentleman that he had met on Facebook. 

His name was Max La Rocca and he was supposed to be quite the man with the cocktails. He worked at the Hotel St. George on the Via Guilia, just across the river from The Vatican. I thought, why not?

I had made contact with Max on Facebook and he was ever so gracious about having me stop in.

I arrived in Rome on a Friday, armed with only my vast lack of the Italian language and absolutely no idea where I was in the city. After no time at all, I set off to visit The Hotel St. George and a guy named “Max”. The sun was out but the air was just a bit nippy, and myself with the lingering affects of a cold.

When I arrived at the hotel, the outside was a nice stone doorway, but very unassuming. Once you walked in though, you knew that you were in a hotel that I couldn’t possibly afford to stay in. As I rounded the corner to the bar area, the man himself came up to greet me.

Massimo (the same name, as he was to point out to me later, as the Russel Crowe character in the film “Gladiator”) “Max” La Rocca had a smile on his face and appeared much younger than what I expected. He brought me over to his bar and proceeded to make me feel right at home.

We started to discuss my trip so far, which at that point only consisted of a long cab ride, my surprise at the rather spooky hotel that I had booked myself into about a 1 1/2 miles away and a rather nice, inexpensive Italian dinner that I enjoyed around the corner from the “spooky hotel”. Then we got down to the matters at hand…drinks & drinking!

Max started me off with the cocktail that he was listing on his blog, the Tommy’s Camomile No. 10, made with Diageo’s Tanqueray No. Ten gin, agave syrup and fresh lime juice with a creamy camomile foam (with a touch of vanilla), a sprinkle of camomile on top and a side of his own lime jelly. The presentation was great, but it was nothing compared to how that cocktail tasted! I was blown away.

Another great experience was his Smoking Daiquiri, where before making the cocktail, he lit a chuck of a cigar and put it under the serving glass. When ready, he turns the glass rightside up and pours in the cocktail. What a trip! It was as it I was smoking and drinking at the very same time! I was still tasting this cocktail later the next afternoon.

I did recommend, however, that he consider using other flavours of smoke, possibly frankensence, considering he was working in the shadows of The Vatican, it only seemed appropriate. Perhaps it was just the Catholic tourist in me.

Over the next few evenings, Max would serve up his variations on some classic cocktails, such as the Manhattan & Negroni.

On my second night in Rome, after visiting the aforementioned Vatican, I bee-lined it over to The St. George to see what else Max had up his sleeve. He showed me all of these experiments that he had been working on: his clear ice that he painstakingly creates and nurtures for just the right look and his array of garnishes & spices that he keeps on hand. This lead us talking about infusions. I had mentioned how I had been infusing rich, chocolate coffee beens into Black Bush, which usually has a bit of a milk chocolate character in the finish. I had figured that since we already put Irish whiskey into coffe, why not put coffee into Irish whiskey.

This is where Max took things to the next level. You could see his mind racing at speeds I couldn’t keep up with, even if I tried. He gathers up some ingredients and tools, pours Black Bush into a brandy snifter and then lights it on fire. A dash of cinnamon, some coffee and star anise et voilà, a coffee-less Irish coffee!

To top off my stay in Rome, Max was kind enough to postpone his usual trip home on that Sunday and meet up for lunch at a wonderful Italian restaurant (I know, is there any other kind in Rome?). For an American, you always want to experince certain things in different countries: drinking scotch in Scotland, drinking Guinness in Dublin and eating Italian food in Rome. Some how you just feel like you have done it all once you accomplished these things.

Anyway, Max also took my around to some of the other spots around town where the small, but proud group of mixologists work their craft.

We stopped into the Grand Hotel de La Minerve, a sister hotel of the St. George, where Roberta, who was just ending her shift, was telling us how she & her husband are about to open up their own bar. Her replacement for the next shift was named Roberto! What are the chances of that? He presided over a very nice ornate bar with a good number of spirits.

Then, it was off to a bar that Max once worked at called the Hotel de Russie. There we met his friend, another Max, Massimo D’Addezio, a man full of great vigor. When I say Massimo free pours…I mean he free pours! We actually spent some time at this bar and chatted to Massimo and his staff. All of which had passion & pride in their work and for the art of bartending.

We went to one more bar at the Excelsior Hotel. Once again, a warm greeting from Max’s friends Luca di Francia behind the bar and another very nice cocktail.

Thinking back on my experince in Rome, I am struck by just how professional the bartenders are without losing their personalities & warmth.

Max, I think, is the epitome of this.

He puts so much imagination, creativity, personality and hard work into what he does and what he creates, the man needs a much bigger stage than what he has now. After watching Max work, I thought I was witnessing a man who had been behind the bar for 20 years or more, honing his craft and providing a level of serve not often seen these days.

When he informed me that he had been bartending for only 3 years, I nearly fell off my stool. He had done more in his 3 years than I had in my 12 years bartending back in Chicago, yet he is one of the most humble and giving people I have ever met. He should be the inspiration to any person looking to get into the service industry and the field of mixology.

To the Gladiator of Mixologists, I salute you!

Cheers
Martin C. Duffy
Diageo Reserve Brand Ambassador

The Alchemist Blazer

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IT: Richard Gillam e Spike Marchant del Gorgeous Group usano la tecnica del “blazing” per creare un ottimo drink caldo con lo Zacapa.
Seminario Inspired Luxury Diageo – Venezia

ENG: Richard Gillam and Spike Marchant from Gorgeous Group are using the “blazing” technique to create really tasty hot Zacapa drink.
Inspired Luxury Diageo Seminar – Venice